


The hidden face of Neal Caffrey

by JAKishu



Category: White Collar (TV 2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Animal Shifter, Blood and Injury, Broken Bones, Childhood Trauma, Hurt Neal Caffrey, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury, Multi, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Protective Peter Burke, Psychological Trauma, Shapeshifting, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-24 19:54:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30077481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JAKishu/pseuds/JAKishu
Summary: In a world where some people have the ability to change into animals, there is one man who never showed his animal to anyone. Neal Caffrey is a animal-shifter. The DNA test confirms this, but no one knows what he is. Will he break his silence when Peter´s life is in danger?
Relationships: Elizabeth Burke & Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke & Neal Caffrey
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	1. Imprisoned

Neal tightens the necktie around Peter´s leg above the hole that his own gun had put into it. Using his one working arm and his teeth. Worried he looked at the blood puddle underneath it. If they don’t get out of here soon, he will face of the shooter alone with the dead body of his friend next to him. Neal slides down next to the agent. Holding onto his broken arm, trying not to move it. He is in pain, everything hurts but the broken bones in his arms bring him another kind of pain. Pain he wished he had forgotten and something he would never be able to explain to anyone he knows because he would have to give up his one and only true secret that he had never told anyone. Still Neal keeps his eyes open, knowing what waits for him behind his closed eyelids. She is there, always there to bring him more pain.

Peter moans beside him. The blood on his face starts to dry but the red face is not pretty to look at. Neal is sure that Peter will need stitches and has a server concussion. Neal came out easy in compare, but he is the criminal in chains and not the FBI agent with the key.

“I thought our cases aren’t dangerous.” Neal tries to tease. A bit to lighten the mood.

“…can´t all be Prada bags and stolen Monet´s.” He answers and opens his eyes. The pupils are blown and Neal just got his conformation for his diagnosis. “How is the situation?”

“You survived torture, but it doesn’t matter because he will come back with his boss and he promised to kill you first. Or, if you are lucky you will bleed to death before that happens.” Peter turns his head to look at him, Neal guesses the look should intimidate him but with the blood and the look of pain it has no effect, somehow the pain made him give in, give up on life. “For our chances to escape … I didn’t find any. The only thing that could get us out is the window above us but with the bars there is no chance for us to squeeze through it. Without it I would have tried it. My arm isn’t helping the situation.” Neal let his eyes return to Peter after he looked at the window and the lock of the cell door one last time. There was no way to open it. Even if they would be able to leave through the door, Peter is hurt, he can´t walk like this, Neal can´t carry him and leaving him behind is no option. He wouldn’t make it through the warehouse anyway, with or without Peter. They are locked up tied.

How did they end up here?


	2. The offer

In this world there exist animal-shifters. People who can change into an animal. Something in their DNA allows them to transform into one specific animal. Most people get tested around the age of 10. Some children discover it earlier, but most develop this ability in their teenager years. Everyone who is a shifter has it written on his or her ID. Together with the kind of animal they can change into it. Only a few never transform and have no idea what they are.

Neal is one of them, an animal shifter but no one ever found out what animal he is. Not Peter, not Moz, not even Kate. And every threat that is spoken at him gets ignored. Peter only asked once and regretted it the second he had let out the question.

The raw pain that appears in Neal´s eyes was enough to make him pull back the question and never ask again. He also made sure no one in their unite would ever ask again. This pain, this was real, no mask could ever produce something like that.

This case was different. The White Collar unit rarely deals with anything that is related to animal-shifters. It should have been something an easy case. Art, related to shifter had been stolen. That included paintings that show shifting people. Neal wasn’t happy to work that case, but it was his contact that got them into the warehouse for the next auction. It turned out that the paintings show of the product and the buyers would purchase the animal shifter themselves. For whatever reason.

Suddenly they are trapped between people that see human trafficking as a good way to earn their many and who don’t seem to mind killing law enforcement officer or their CI´s. That’s how they ended, bleeding, shoot and ruffed up in the cell under the warehouse with no way of escape and death waiting for them.

* * *

The silence in the cell is deafening. “El will be angry with me.” Peter mumbles and looks up at the dark ceiling. “I promised to fix the kitchen sink this weekend.” Neal feels the regret and the pain in these words. It wasn’t his fault that they were here but he didn’t press his contact for more information. If they had known about the potential danger, they would have brought back up but they came alone. Without a way to contact the FBI.

“Sorry, it´s my fault.” Neal isn’t sure why he says it but it doesn’t make him feel better. Peter has a wife he wants to return to. Neal has no one like that. Yes, Mozzie and June will be sad but they will grieve him and move one. El will … she will be alone and she will hate Neal for it. For her dead husband and the broken promises, the unfixed sink, the empty house and the tears she will cry at the funeral.

Neal sighs and looks up at the window. His other form could fit through it but there is no way he would get up there without Peter´s help. That means he has to make him look, let him see. The nausea reaches Neal faster than he had thought and nearly vomit all over himself.

Swallowing down the fear and the pain Neal turns to Peter. “I want you to promise me something.” Peter looked at him. Waiting. “I can get us out, but I need your help and you have to promise to never tell anyone.” The confusion is clearly visible on the agents face and the concussion isn’t helping it. “Promise.”

Peter nods.


	3. Hurt and Broken

Neal helps Peter to stand, he doubts the agent will be able to do so himself. Their eyes met and the silent question in Peter´s eyes get his answer. “I will shift and you have to lift me up to the window. I should be small enough to fit through the bars. I don´t know how long I will be able to hold it so hurry up. I will find help and get you out.”

Peter nods, still in disbelieve what will happen soon and Neal takes all his courage to focus on his ability. He hadn’t done this in twenty years. Fining this one point in his body that he needs to transform to change his from.

There it is. Like a little feather that had landed on the ground. Resting in a dark room waiting for someone to pick it up and let it free. Neal picks it up and feels his body change. The familiar pain returns but Neal ignores it. He needs to get Peter out of here. Get him back to Elizabeth.

Neal opens his eyes, he hadn’t notice that he closed them and stares up at Peter who is looking at a bird where his CI had stood moments ago. Not just a bird a peregrine falcon. It seems as if Peter remembers his task as he carefully lifts Neal up to the window. His wings all hanging off him in the wrong angle, they are in the way but Neal manage to squeeze through the bars and fall a few centimetres to the ground.

The second he was free Neal shifts back and looks through the window. “I will get help, don´t worry.” Neal doesn’t wait for an answer. He stands up on shaking legs and walk through the industrial area until he finds something out of the past, a phone booth. He opens the door and presses the right numbers to get Diana on the phone.

She sounds worried and through the pain Neal makes sure she gets all the information she needs. Peter´s need of an ambulance, the address, how many men they have and everything else his pain clouded mind can provide before he falls into the dark. Sliding down into the horror filled world of his living nightmares.

* * *

Peter had watched animal-shifter transform before. Big ones that think a bear or a wolf would be better suited to fight against the FBI. He had seen small animal-shifter change to escape. What fascinated Peter most is that bird-shifter always transform mid-air. Having their wings ready to keep them flying. But not Neal. As the young man shifted into his falcon form, he kept his feet on the ground. It took him a second to understand why. Both of his wings look horrible broken and bend in different direction. Clearly unable to fly in any way. No wonder Neal needed him to help him out of the window.

The pain in his friend’s voice as he turned back was clearly there. Like on the day Peter had dared to ask him what animal he can become. Peter just hopes that Neal would get away and get help. Everything else they can figure out later. Exhausted form standing Peter falls back to the ground, waiting for help or death. There was nothing else he could do.


End file.
